Mitchell Robinson injury history and updates

How often has NY Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson been injured throughout his career?

Robinson, through just three seasons, has a history of a few injuries that have kept him out for a significant amount of time. Robinson has appeared in just over 70% of possible games since his career started in 2018.

Despite that, he has proven to be an incredibly exciting young talent, particularly on the defensive end of the court. The rim protecting specialist has averaged over two blocks per game throughout his career and has posted significantly positive defensive box plus/minus statistics in every season, even when on poor defensive teams.

Now in a system led by a defensive-minded coach in Tom Thibodeau, Robinson’s career has a real chance to take off.

Mitchell Robinson injury update: Appears to be back to action in offseason

UPDATE: June 10, 1 pm: Mitchell Robinson appears to be back and healthy, having posted a photo of himself in Knicks athletic gear on his Instagram story. You love to see it.

On March 27 against the Milwaukee Bucks, Mitchell Robinson covered Brook Lopez with intensity, determined not to let him get him on his back foot deep in the post. Thanasis Antetokounmpo attempted to force a pass to Lopez anyway, Robinson jumped up and forced a turnover, and fell, fracturing his foot. He’s been out ever since.

The injury, clearly incredibly painful, says a lot about Robinson’s style of play and his willingness to put in all the effort that is needed on the defensive end.

A huge disappointment for Knicks fans and Robinson, what’s even worse is that he had just come back from another injury, playing only three games before the Bucks matchup. His physical presence has been sorely missed, though the Knicks have still excelled in his absence.

Prior to Game 2, there was a flurry of information regarding his availability. Initially, he appeared to be available. Later reports noted he was still unavailable. A cryptic Tweet from Robinson himself added to the confusion and the potential that he may be nearing a return.

This may seem baseless, but there is precedence to correlating Robinson’s Twitter with his availability.

For instance, earlier this season a day before he returned from his fractured hand:

Now, this is less grey than his recent Tweet, but it’s worth noting.

Knicks fans might want to settle down, though. Thibs quickly put some water on the fire saying Robinson is “several steps away.”

Going into Game 3 in Atlanta, his return would be huge. But it would be unfavorable to plug in players who have been out of the game for two full months in meaningful postseason situations. Especially if Robinson hasn’t practiced yet, there’s little chance he’s going to be a value-adding piece in a tightly-contested postseason series right out of the gate.

That said, hypothetically speaking, Robinson’s commanding physical prowess would take a lot of pressure off of the rest of the Knicks’ defense and give them yet another plug to hopefully slow the Atlanta Hawks offense.

We’ll keep you posted with more updates here on Robinson’s availability should anything change. For now, he’s (officially) considered to be out, but things seem to be hinting toward a possible return if you believe in the language of emojis. 👀

Who knows, if the Knicks advance, maybe Robinson could make a Conference Semifinals postseason debut.

Mitchell Robinson, broken hand February 2021

In February, Mitchell Robinson fractured his hand going up to attempt to block a shot from Rui Hacimura. The injury actually came from inadvertent contact with his teammate, Julius Randle.

The center missed 15 games before returning and subsequently injuring his foot, as is written above.

Mitchell Robinson concussion, 2019-20

Mitchell Robinson missed three games early on in the 2019-20 campaign due to a concussion. The Knicks lost two of those games by 21 and 18 points, respectively. In Robinson’s first two games back from injury he averaged 16.5 points per game.

Mitchell Robinson groin injury, 2018-19

Mitchell Robinson missed 13 games in his rookie season due to a groin injury. Prior to the injury Robinson was averaging 4.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game.

Throughout the remainder of the 2018-19 season, Robinson closed out the season averaging 9.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game. He played about six minutes more per game post-injury.

Mitchell Robinson contract status

Mitchell Robinson is on the books through at least 2022 for the NY Knicks on a bargain deal. They have a team option for $1.8 million this summer, an option they’d be wise to pick up even with his injury history. Extending him is an option that the Knicks will need to consider this summer as well. If he returns and has a meaningful impact on the playoffs, that could be a difference maker in navigating that tricky situation.